This post is all about a quick morning journaling template to get started with!
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Want to start journaling in the morning? But you literally have no time, and you’re worried that the only way it’ll work is if you start waking up at 5!
What’s worse is that even if you do find time to journal, you have no idea what to write about!
It’s probably the main reason I didn’t start journaling for so long, because I thought it was so time consuming.
Like who’s got 30 minutes in the morning to just dump your thoughts?
Luckily, I eventually discovered this smart and efficient way to start a morning journal that only takes 10 minutes 😉
And you can easily incorporate this into your morning routine. Cuz if you’re anything like me, it won’t get done until there’s a proper structure to it!
That’s why having a specific morning journaling template that takes less than 10 minutes works best!
morning journaling essentials :
Believe it or not, but you don’t need a fancy journal to get started. Simply take out your pen and paper and answer these prompts every morning.
Or just download the morning journaling template printable given at the end if you want something more *aesthetic* and practical. It’s not 5 pages long, so you really won’t have to worry about carrying a bunch of pages everyday.
is Morning journaling a good idea?
I think that morning are the best time to get some journaling done before officially starting you days.
It’s the time to focus on yourself and your thoughts before you go out and focus on everyone else!
The world is quieter and more peaceful. Nobody’s demanding your attention for anything else.
If you leave this for the evenings, you’d always have other things come up. And honestly, they’ll be pretty good excuses.
And even 15 minutes of this uninterrupted me-time can do wonders!
It makes you feel prepared, instead of feeling rushed. And that creates a ripple effect throughout the day.
You can also try night journaling. But I’ve found it’s best for a calm check ins to end the day. However, I’ve included that in this morning journaling template in case you don’t journal at night.
You know, you keep on consuming so much throughout the day. It’s important to take a moment and process all that information, and check in with your thoughts and emotions before you go out and start consuming again.
Quick Morning Journaling Template
I’ve cut out all the fluff and only included prompts you really need. Of course, different things work for different people, but these are the exact prompts I follow that make me feel grateful, prepared and confident throughout the day.
1) 3 Things You’re Grateful For
Simply, write down 3 things from the last day that you’re grateful for.
Easy? But here’s the deal. You need to get specific.
Just saying that you’re grateful for the weather, your family and your pets won’t cut it. In your morning journaling template, write down to the exact moments that make you feel grateful.
Let the feelings of gratitude sink in!
If you stay consistent with gratitude journaling, you’ll start seeing the shifts in your attitude within the first 2 weeks. Just saying!
I started noticing myself feeling grateful for the random things throughout the day.
Related Post : How To Start Gratitude Journaling
2) how do i want to feel at the end of the day?
We’re too good at asking the question, ‘What do you want to get done by eod?’. You make big fat to-do lists that you keep chasing after.
But just take a moment in the morning and ask yourself, ‘How do you want to feel by the end of the day?’
And then check if your to-do list aligns with those feelings.
If you want to feel relaxed by the end of the day, are you including more self care activities in your to-do list.
If you goal is to feel prepared for the upcoming conference, are you working towards that?
Let’s not follow a big fat to-do list just for the sake of it!
3) If you only had one task to do today, what would it be?
This can be a really tough question to answer.
Specially if you’re trying to avoid an important task by doing all the busy work first.
Often time we procrastinate the important tasks because they feel scary to start.
For eg, You might wanna start going to the gym, but instead of exercising you’re spending 2 days researching about the types of diets and different gyms in your area.
None of which is helping you accomplish your goals.
Answering this question in your morning journaling template will help you get rid of that fluff, and really focus on THE most important task.
Remember, our brain hates clarity. So this might not be the easiest question, and you might wanna make a list of 10 instead of 1. But really force yourself here.
If you just focus on finishing that one task every day for the next year, you’d be getting 10x better results.
4) how can you make today more fun?
I know you’re ready to get sh*t done and tackle the world, but what’s the fun in that if you’re just surviving and not thriving!?
Life is more than just ticking things off your to-do list.
Now, I know you’re busy and can’t just have a girls night out after work.
But I’m asking you use this morning journaling ideas to look for the small 15-minute windows in your schedule. I’m sure you can find or create more of these.
Use the next 15 mins to read your book on Kindle, or call your partner, or just walk to your favorite café and have some coffee.
Ask yourself how can you make what you’re already doing more fun? Ask your friend to join you for a walk. Burst into a dance party while making dinner.
5) check-in
This is probably the most important morning journaling ideas prompt out of all.
Before starting your next day, analyze your last day. Leverage your experiences to make the most out of today.
Here’s the morning journaling template prompts to follow :
1. What went well yesterday? – You pushed yourself to exercise even when you didn’t want to, or you used 2 hrs in the morning to get the most important stuff done.
2. What didn’t go well? – Maybe you spent the entire evening scrolling through tiktok
3. What time of the day are you the most productive?
4. How can you improve? – Engage in low effort tasks in the evening.
6) Align Your Thoughts & Feelings
I learned this morning journaling ideas from my coach, Faith Mariah. The basic idea behind this is that a lot of times (always) we think that taking more action would create better results.
But sometimes it’s what you think about the actions that you’re taking that matters too.
For eg, if 2 people are going to the gym. One is thinking ‘Omg! I hate going to the gym. I can’t do this.’
And the other one is thinking, ‘I’m so excited to go to the gym today.’ or even ‘Gym’s not the most fun but I’m glad I’m getting to push myself everyday.’
Which one these do you think will get better results?
That’s why it’s important to check-in with your thoughts. Answer these questions :
- What results you want?
- What actions you need to take?
- What do you need to feel? eg : Determined, excited, curious, calm.
- What thoughts you need to have to feel that?
free download – Morning Journaling Template
How to start a morning journal? (w/o spending 2 hrs)
Now that we’ve sorted the question of ‘What to write in the journal?’. The next big question is ‘How to find time for journaling?’
Especially if busy mornings are your thing.
Here’s the deal, you don’t need to schedule a 2 hr time block or wake up at 5 am to make journaling a reality.
Especially with this morning journaling template, all you need is 15 minutes and you’re good to go!
Here are a few morning journaling ideas and tips that’ll help you out :
1) If you have absolutely no time in your current morning schedule, start waking up 15 minutes earlier. That’s easy, right?
Related Post : Best Morning Routine You’d Wanna Wake Up For
2) Keep your journal on the bedside table to serve as a visual reminder.
3) Make it a part of your pre-existing morning routine. It’s easier to start new habits when they’re combined of top of old ones.
4) Use your time of commuting to work to journal. If I don’t get time in the morning, I use my subway time to journal my thoughts down.
Don’t forget to download your free morning journaling template.
This post is all about a quick morning journaling template to get started with!
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